Luke's first dance
by chloemcg
Summary: Luke is feeling nervous about his very first dance with Arianna, can the professor calm his nerves? (LukeXArianna pairing) (Professor Layton/Luke father-son pairing).


**Disclaimer: All the rights to the Professor Layton belong to Level 5 games, not me! I would never own ANYONE of that amazing franchise. **

**Luke's first dance.**

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Luke breathed in and out as his skin crawled.

He never felt so nervous in his entire life. His hands were all sweaty and he could do nothing but shift nervously where he stood and tug at the cuffs of his sleeves, his bright blue eyes shifting from left to right and he shuddered whence a hand was planted on his shoulder in an effort to comfort him.

On the other side of the door that was nearby, was where a certain young lady awaited his presence. Arianna Barde was a special girl who was always by his side through thick and thin, spiritually or otherwise, and she was also quite sweet as girls go as she treated him with the greatest of friendliness that one could ever ask for whence others would shun him and treat him specially just because he was the mayor's son.

Luke loved her. She loved him back.

Who would help him before a special dance meant for just the two of them?

Professor Hershel Layton, of course!

"P-Professor," Luke stammered nervously "I-I-I don't think I can do this..."

The professor chuckled light kindheartedly. He had known Luke since he was no bigger than a single loaf of bread and knew exactly what the boy was like in his heart. He was a kind, noble boy who would put his friends before himself without a moment of hesitation. Although he had some moments when his childish intuition got the better of him and he could be very stubborn and even fickle at times, he had a good heart that pulled him through the darkness that would sometimes blind him.

The gentleman smiled kindly as he placed a warm hand atop of Luke's shoulder and he patted it gingerly. He knew Luke would do fine as long as he kept calm and composed -Luke would be just fine as long as he kept his cool.

Professor Layton smirked teasingly "Now Luke, a gentleman never runs from a lady in waiting."

Luke just frowned and drew a very nervous sigh while he glanced down at his own two feet, watching them shuffling against the well-polished wood flooring below as if this was the most interesting of sights to behold. His cap managed to partially shield some of his expression but the professor wasn't fooled as the older gent decided to simply abandon his teasing reminders and try to actually reassure him.

The professor smiled gently "...My boy you mustn't be scared" and then he grinned enthusiastically "Arianna is a very nice young lady and I'm sure she would not decline someone as dapper as you."

Luke sighed again. He was not sure about dancing with the hometown sweetheart, it wasn't like the girl's father was alive to intimidate him beyond the brink but it was still nerve wracking enough to make the professor's apprentice break into a chilly sweat. Luke hugged his arms for the gust of wind that he swore suddenly entered the small room behind the huge hall behind the small yet insignificant door that managed to intimidate him all the same.

He dusted off his black velvet tuxedo and tugged nervously at the corners of his bright cyan bow tie. He also bit his lower lip so hard that he nearly made it bleed as his twitchy eyes wandered all over the place, he couldn't ignore the fact that his heart was slamming inside his chest so hard that it was enough force to break through his rib cage.

Luke worriedly shuddered, his shoulders tensing, and he closed his eyes to try and calm himself. He kept his head lowered while he avoided the gaze the professor was sending him.

Yet the professor chuckled in amusement of his apprentice's visible nerves and he tried a third time to console him. The gentleman archeologist patted Luke's shoulder lightly and said "You will be just fine." He winked at Luke confidently as they both heard some soft music begin to play from the other side of the door and Luke breathed in and out to compose his posture and he glared at the door with determination shining inside his innocent eyes.

Luke forced himself to barrel into the room on the other side of the door that had long since intimidated him and he was in awe of what he found in the middle of the huge hall standing beneath a huge white spotlight made the breath in his throat blow out into the wind that blew free.

Arianna looked stunning, if one were to put it mildly.

She had her ginger hair tied up into a bun, a seashell hair clip caught up in the piece of hair on her right side. She wore a beautiful blue dress that glittered and sparkled in the sweet caress of the gentle light shining down on her from above. She also wore matching shoes that went with her dress so well.

To Luke, her current appearance was akin to that of a perfect puzzle.

Wearily and nervously, Luke put one foot in front of the other as he walked towards the girl who stood in the middle of the empty room with a faint smile creeping on to his little lips while he shuddered inwardly. He could swear that he could feel some goose bumps tingling on his arms even though the nice suit he wore.

He cautiously approached her even though the loud clicks echoing through the room with each step made certain to have announced his presence the second he wandered into the darkly lit room that was quite sphere-like.

He approached the young girl with determination growing in each step he took. He was growing increasingly confident that he could do this! After all, a simple slow dance shouldn't be too difficult to accomplish...should it?

Luke adjusted his blue cap, grabbing it by the rim, and he fiddled with it until he looked a little more presentable for her. Even though he wore a nice tuxedo for the night, he downright refused against not wearing his cap since he always wore it and special occasions were no exception.

Actually, there was no exception except for bedtime!

He stopped in front of Arianna and found himself rendered speechless. She was intoxicated by her appearance of this evening since she just looked so perfect and flawless in every sense of the word and everything other word that was in the dictionary that involved the words "beautiful" and "stunning".

Luke gawked at her in disbelief. She was so pretty!

Arianna battered her pretty little eyelashes with a sweet smile. Her face was beautifully pale in the white spotlight as she and Luke had direct eye contact as they were completely transfixed inside each other's gaze. They both said nothing until Luke struggled with asking something her as he offered his hand out for her.

"...A-Arianna" The professor's apprentice swallowed hard "will you dance with m-m-me?"

Luke swallowed so hard that it left him with a sore throat. He could not surpress this aching in his racing heart as he felt a rush of nervousness take over his entire body while he awaited his answer in response for his proposal. However, to his utter surprise, Arianna smiled sweetly as she grasped his sweaty hand with a sincere kindness shining in her innocent eyes.

"Yes, Luke, I would love to dance with you." She spoke softly.

Unlike him, Arianna had such a confidence behind her words of concurrence. She not only looked graceful but she was graceful in soul too. She was also very kind-hearted and shared his love for animals.

The two children said nothing until they both held on to one another and they both spun around in a gentle slow dance, both of their hands intertwining as they stared passionately into each other's eyes underneath the harsh white spotlight that glared overhead as if to light their presence in the room.

The professor's apprentice and the young girl both went into a gentle waltz as they forgot about everything else and just focused on each other while they danced. Nothing else mattered to either of them now.

Meanwhile, standing just by the door and leaning back against the doorframe with his arms folded across his chest lazily, professor Layton smiled warmly as he observed his apprentice dancing with the grace of a swan right alongside his sweetheart. The professor slowly swayed his head side to side as he listened to the beautiful song flowing through his eardrums and he smiled compassionately for the boy he knew as his apprentice.

The gentleman chuckled warmly as he watched Luke dance with Arianna warmly. He had his back pressed against the doorframe as he spoke quietly whilst watching this endearingly charming little scene, his fingers adjusting his top hat as the dark hat was shoved over his eyes while he became lost in the enchanting moment.

"Well done, Luke..." The professor murmured to the boy even though Luke was far from hearing range. Hershel Layton was so proud of the boy he actually grown to love as a son-like figure as he saw himself as a father figure. Every time Luke had done something worth earning a high level of praise, the professor's pride fresh hold increased ever more than he could ever hope to imagine.

He was proud of what his apprentice had accomplished since he now had his very first dance with his one true love.

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**A/N: Yes, I know this may have been a bit rushed but I thought of how Professor Layton would give his apprentice some advice and this just popped up inside my head. **

**You can make of this what you will but I'm proud of this!**

**I still love the father-son pairing of Layton and Luke, its ridiculously adorable.**

**Please review.**

**-Chloemcg**


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